“It was a battle for the rest of our season,” La Reina senior Hanna Stoiberg said. “No one wanted it to end but it happens.”

Corona Del Mar was able to withstand a fighting La Reina team with close victories in a 25-22, 25-18, 25-22 win. Corona Del Mar will now make its first appearance in the Southern California finals since 1997.

La Reina (18-3) ended its season as it did in 2000, with a run to the quarterfinals.

Stoiberg had 24 assists, five kills and two blocks to finish off a stellar high school career.

“It’s tough to replace what that young girl has done for us,” Hyatt said of Stoiberg. “She’s done a little bit of everything.”

Vansant called a timeout after just the first five points of the second game and let her team have it, annoyed over just about everything.

“Lack of focus, lack of intensity early, that’s what I talked to them about in the timeout and they came back and played good,” Vansant said.

The No. 1 seeded Wildcats (37-1) got by in a pivotal Game 2 and blew the match open in Game 3 to win in a sweep.

Following Vansant’s timeout in Game 2, neither team led by more than two points the rest of the way. With the score tied at 22 La Canada’s Catherine Horner served into the net and a kill attempt by Mary Jo Scott went out of bounds to give East Valley game point. On the following point the Wildcats’ Casey Tidwell saw her kill attempt go out of bounds.

On the longest most nervewarcking rally of the entire match, East valley setter Johnna Fouch came away with the clutch play. She faked a set attempt and instead sent it over the net a catching the La Canada players of position and the home crowd into a frenzy.

The close loss seemed to take any momentum La Canada had managed to gather in Game 2 as East Valley easily pulled away.

“I was really proud of the intensity they brought to the court and just fighting to the end,” La Canada coach Brock Turner said. “I don’t know if they realized they were a little overmatched. I think we looked a little gassed toward the end. After a while we were fighting and fighting but they were still bringing it.”

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